【Hakuouki】 Moonlight
by moeka1220
Summary: One night, Michiru Yokoichi encounters a Rasetsu. The Shinsengumi discovers that and orders him to come with them, but Michiru cannot leave his two younger siblings behind. What will Michiru do? And will the Shinsengumi ever find out his biggest "secret"? 【Hakuouki】 -Moonlight- *Don't need to know the original story before reading this fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

Gasp...gasp...

I breathed heavily as I looked down at my feet. My wakizashi (medium length sword) clattered in my right hand, pointing toward the man in front of me.

"Gah...gaaahh!" the man with white hair and red eyes moaned. Blood gushed out of his ankles, where I had struck him. However, regardless of the wound, he kept swinging his sword at me.

"Gahh!" he said, swinging his sword toward me.

"Whoa!" I said, barely avoiding it. "Haaah!" I shouted as I thrust my wakizashi in his chest.

"Gah..." the man let out a final moan and became silent. His sword fell out of his hand and dropped onto the ground with a clang.

I knelt down. I killed him, but...was he a human or a monster? If he was a monster, I made the right choice, but if he was a human, then that means I... I killed a...

Just then footsteps—most likely of two people—came from front of me. I looked up and saw two young men who were wearing the same, sky-blue coat as the man by my feet.

"Another unlucky person, eh...? Hijikata-san, we better be more careful with 'these guys,'" the man with shorter hair said.

"...I know that, Shinpachi," the man with longer hair, who was called Hijikata, said with a sigh. He looked at the dead man for a while, and then he lifted his gaze and looked straight at me.

"Hey, you. Come to our quarters. If you decline, we will kill you," he said in a calm but forceful voice.

"Wh-what quarters? Why do I have to obey you?!" I yelled, deepening my voice.

"Because you saw _this_ ," Hijikata said, dropping his gaze. "Now, put your wakizashi away and come here."

I gulped and held my breath.

 _They might be faster than me...no use running away._ I shifted my wakizashi to my left hand and pulled out another wakizashi with my right. I looked straight at Hijikata, ready to fight.

Hijikata let out a deep sigh.

"Let me do it, Hijikata-san," Shinpachi said, pulling out his katana.

Hijikata moved out of the way. There was a tense moment of silence before Shinpachi charged towards me.

 _Clang!_

A loud sound rang in the air as I used my left wakizashi to defend myself from the blow. Then, quickly, I turned over my right wakizashi and hit him in the side of his stomach as hard as I can.

With a loud thump, he fell on the ground

"Shinpachi!" Hijikata yelled, running to his side.

Seeing that Hijikata knelt down, I took the chance and started running.

"Hey!" Hijikata yelled. But it was too late. I ran around the corner and disappeared out of his sight.

"Ugh...I'm sorry, Hijikata-san..." Shinpachi mumbled with a painful expression.

Hijikata looked down at Shinpachi and mumbled, "Mine-uchi...!"

 _He hit him with the back of the wakizashi, and yet he made him unable to stand up..._

"...But we can't let him go," Hijikata said, standing up as he carried Shinpachi on his shoulder, "since he saw _that_."

"Yeah...let's look for him...when we're on patrol...tomorrow..." Shinpachi said as he gasped for air.

Hijikata nodded. With that, he helped Shinpachi up and started walking toward the Shinsengumi quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

"Is Hijikata-san serious? Finding one guy whom we've never met in this wide, crowded Kyo?" Heisuke mumbled.

"Can't be helped, Heisuke. We have to do what we have to do," Saito replied.

It was a sunny morning, but not a good one. Hijikata had told the Shinsengumi's leading members this morning about yesterday's incident: that a guy saw a Rasetsu, struck Shinpachi, and ran away. Today, they planned to increase time put on patrol to try to find and catch—or if he resists, kill—the guy. Right now, Heisuke was on patrol with Saito and Okita.

"We already had the same incident recently with Chizuru, and now this... Are we really doing the right thing by making Rasetsu?" Heisuke mumbled.

"It doesn't matter to me whether it's right or not. My job is to kill the boy," Okita said.

" _If_ he resists," added Heisuke.

"Hey," Saito interrupted in a quiet voice, "I think that's him."

Heisuke and Okita ran over to where Saito was standing and looked around. There was a young boy around the age of 15 or 16, walking with two small siblings.

Suddenly, the younger of the two siblings, a girl, pointed to a shop and said, "Onii-chan, I want to eat dango."

The young boy, who had his long hair in a ponytail and two wakizashi on his left hip, frowned and said, "We just had breakfast, Michiko."

"Can we share one?" the older of the two siblings, a boy around the age of 12, asked.

The young boy sighed. "All right, you guys can share one," he said, giving his younger brother money. The two siblings ran to the dango shop joyfully.

"...Well, now he's alone... Should we go up to him?" Heisuke asked.

Saito nodded and started walking towards him. Heisuke and Okita followed.

"Hey, you," Saito said, approaching the young boy. "Are you the one who encountered a white-haired man yesterday?"

The young boy looked at Saito, and as soon as he saw his sky-blue coat, his face struck with horror. He glared at Saito and put his right hand on his wakizashi.

"...What do you want?" he said, lowering his voice.

"Come with us immediately. Or else, we will have to kill you," Saito said calmly.

For a long while, the two just stared at each other. Heisuke couldn't bare the tension anymore, and as he searched for something to say—

"Onii-chan! We finished eating it!" a girl's joyful voice suddenly said from behind.

The young boy quickly turned around. He grabbed their hands and said, "We're going now, Michiko, Michikuni!" He then scurried away and disappeared into the crowds.

Saito started running after them. "Hey, wait!" Heisuke called. But Saito had already disappeared.

"Uh, Souji, can you go back and report to Hijikata that we might have found him? I'll go after Saito," Heisuke said quickly.

Okita shrugged and said, "All right. Too bad I don't get to kill him."

" _If_ he resists," Heisuke said.

"He already resisted, though."

Heisuke ignored his last comment and started running.

"Gosh, Souji always talks about killing..." he muttered.

 _How can we kill a guy...with two small siblings?_ Unable to bear the thought, Heisuke shook his head sideways and ran as fast as he could through the crowds.


	3. Chapter 3

My name is Michiru Yokoichi. To tell the truth, I'm actually a girl. The reason I'm dressed as a boy is...well, it's a long story. But I've lived as a boy for years.

I let out a deep sigh as I sat near the front door of my house.

It was nearly midnight, and I was recalling what had happened today. This morning, after I ran away from the Shinsengumi with Michikuni and Michiko, I dropped them off at the dojo as usual. I then went to work. In the evening, I went to pick them up, and after I bought ingredients for dinner, I went home.

There was nothing unusual...no sign of the Shinsengumi. However, the thought that someone may have been following us kept bothering me. So I decided to stay awake tonight and sit by the front door, prepared to attack the Shinsengumi if they were to come.

Thud, thud, thud, thud

Just as I thought.

I slowly lifted my face at the sound of the footsteps. 10...20 men?! I bit my lip as I stood up. I had confidence in my sword skills, but it would definitely be tough against that many people...

The footsteps stopped near the door, and the door opened with a bang.

"I am Kondo Isami, head of the Shinsengumi—" the man leading the group started to say. However, he stopped when he saw that I had my swords in both of my hands, ready to fight.

"Whoa, wait, we don't want to fight you," Kondo said. "If you would put your sword away and come with us, we promise we won't hurt you."

"I have no intention going with you," I said in a deep voice.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped, then," said Hijikata, stepping forward. He put his hand on his sword.

There was a tense moment of silence. Then, suddenly—

"Onii-chan, what's going on?" a young voice said, breaking the silence. It was Michikuni, rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding Michiko's hand with the other.

"No, stay away!" I shouted, turning around. I tried to run toward them to push them away, but before I could do that, hands pushed me down to the floor.

"Agh!" I gasped, gritting my teeth.

"It's over," Hijikata said. He lifted his sword, ready to strike me,

"O-one day!" I yelled. Hijikata's hand stopped.

"Please give me until tomorrow noon...so that I can ask the dojo master to take care of my siblings...and tell my employer that I won't be able to work for a while..." I said between gasps.

Hijikata paused for a moment and then said, "After that's done, you will come with us?"

"...Yes."

There was a moment of silence before Hijikata lowered his arm and put his sword away. "Take the boy's wakizashi," he ordered. Two of the men who were holding me down took my wakizashi out of my hands.

"Are you sure you're not going to kill him?" someone said playfully.

"Stop always talking about killing, Souji," Hijikata said in an irritated tone. He looked down and continued, "Killing a brother in front of two young kids is the last thing I want to do."

"You're so nice," Souji chuckled.

"Let him go," Hijikata said, ignoring his comment. Hands lifted off of me, and I was free. I slowly stood up; my body hurt all over the place, especially my shoulders where it was pressed down hard against the floor.

As I stretched, Hijikata gave orders to the group. "Saito, Souji, and Shinpachi, guard this house for tonight with your subordinates. Harada, Gen-san, and Heisuke will trade places tomorrow morning and will watch him as he gets his business done."

He continued talking, but nothing further came into my ears. I was simply exhausted from all this.

"Onii-chan," Michiko called softly, "are we going to be okay?"

I looked at them and tried to force a smile. "You guys are going to live with Nishitani-sensei from now on. But don't worry, Onii-chan will come pick you up as soon as I get out."

 _That is, if I can ever get out_ , I thought. I looked at the night sky through the doors. It was light outside despite the time; the full moon was shining down on the house.


	4. Chapter 4

I breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled. It was already evening, and I was placed in a small room at the Shinsengumi quarters.

In the morning, I went to the dojo with Michiko and Michikuni, but the dojo master said he can only take one of the two siblings due to finacial reasons. So I ended up sending Michiko to the dojo and Michikuni to my workplace as a new apprentice.

To be honest, I didn't want to send Michikuni to my workplace. My employer was nice and all, but since he was a doctor, Michikuni will sometimes have to see gruesome wounds. I didn't want him to go through that. But, well, there was no other choice. I should be thankful that my employer took in an 11-year-old child.

As I recalled the day's events, tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to stop crying, but I couldn't. I was just so mad at myself for being powerless, unable to protect my younger siblings. When I thought of Michiko and Michikuni's sad faces when they bid farewell to me, I felt like punching myself in the face. I felt so pathetic.

I sobbed quietly, perhaps for about half an hour.

Then, suddenly, I heard a voice outside.

"Hey, Heisuke! Call the boy. He's going to eat dinner with us!"

"All right, Sano-san! Coming!"

Heisuke knocked on the wall. I panicked and quickly wiped my tears with my clothes.

"Uh...Michiru?" Heisuke called. "It's time for dinner, so come out when you're ready."

I stood up and slowly walked over to the door. I opened the door slightly and asked, "Did you...hear me?"

"Uh..." Heisuke looked away, unable to find a good answer. "Sort of?"

I came out of the room and closed the door. I was totally off guard...I should have been aware that the Shinsengumi was keeping an eye on me any time.

"You know, I...I had an older brother," I said, trying to justify why I was crying. "When he passed away three years ago, I promised Michikuni and Michiko that I'll protect them. But I couldn't, and...I just couldn't help crying." I choked on the last few words, tears welling up in my eyes again.

"I-I don't think it's embarrassing for a guy to cry!" Heisuke said quickly. "It just means that your brother and sister are really important to you. There nothing wrong with that."

I wiped my tears and smiled. "Thank you, Heisuke-san."

"Heisuke-kun is okay. -san is too formal," Heisuke said, grinning.

"Okay, Heisuke-kun."

"Yup, that's it. Now let's go get dinner."

My eyes must have been red from crying, but no one pointed that out or laughed about it when I walked into the dining room. Even Souji-san, who seemed to always say playful things. Shinpachi-san seemed to avoid my gaze, most likely because I had defeated him two nights ago. Saito-san was a very quiet person. Hijikata-san and Kondo-san were having a chat, while Harada-san and Heisuke-kun argued over their food. Yukimura-san seemed a bit troubled by their fighting.

It was quite fun eating with everyone. However, once dinner was done, Hijikata-san looked at me with a serious expression.

"Yokoichi Michiru. There is one thing we have to check with you: how much did you see two nights ago?" he asked.

I pondered for a moment before I honestly replied, "I encountered a mad white-haired, red-eyed man whose only objective was to kill me, despite my making deep wounds in his ankles. I remember he was wearing a Shinsengumi coat. That is all I know."

Hijikata thought for a moment. He looked at me straight into my eyes and said, "All right. You will be staying with us until we think we can let you go. I don't know how long that will be, but you are free to roam around the quarters, as long as you have one of us go with you. However, do not go outside the walls without my permission, or tell anyone about what you saw. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," I said quietly.

"Wow Hijikata-san, you're unusually nice today, letting him have dinner with us and roam around the quarters," Okita-san said, chuckling.

"Shut up, Souji," Hijikata-san said, glaring at him.

After that, he dismissed me, and I went back to my room. I checked outside the window and saw that Harada-san was on guard tonight. However, from his loud snore, I guess they trust me enough to be off guard.

I slid in to my futon and wondered what life was going to be like here. And soon, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, I woke up from a nightmare; I had a dream about the night I had killed that white-haired man.

 _He was crazy, yes, but was he a monster or...a human? If he was, then I... I..._

I rolled over onto my side in my futon and curled up. But moments later, I finally mustered up the courage to go ask Hijikata-san.

I opened the shoji and peeked out. The guard this morning was Saito-san; he was sitting on his legs, his hands on his lap and eyes closed.

"Um, Saito-san... May I please go ask Hijikata-san something?" I asked slowly and politely.

Saito-san opened his eyes and stood up. "Follow me to his room," he said, and he started walking.

I quickly stood up and followed him down the hall. When we arrived at Hijikata-san's room, Saito-san asked, "Hijikata-san, it's Saito and Yokoichi. May we come in?"

"Come in," Hijikata-san replied. Saito-san opened the shoji. "What?" Hijikata-san asked, putting down the brush that he was using to write a letter.

"Um, something has been bothering me since that day... The white-haired man whom I killed... Was he a human?" I closed my eyes, praying that his answer would be a 'no.'

"Yes, he was," Hijikata-san said clearly.

I sat down on the floor, my legs unable to support me. _I killed a...a human? He wasn't a ghost or a monster?_ My hands trembled as I covered my mouth and started to sob.

"Don't worry too much," Hijikata-san said.

I snapped and yelled, "You can say that because you've killed so many people! I'm not like you Shinsengumi... My family believes in no killing of humans... But I... I..." I bit my lips and lowered my voice. "I shall not be allowed to live anymore... Please kill me... Please..."

"What will happen to your younger siblings then? How would they feel if they find out that you've died?" Saito-san asked.

"..." I breathed in, but no word came out of my mouth.

"Calm down, Yokoichi. That's not what I meant," Hijikata-san said, putting his right hand on my shoulder. "I wanted to emphasize that he 'was' a human. One day, he turned into a monster. I can't tell you why, but I can tell you with confidence that what you killed was not a human."

"Really...?" I asked, wiping my tears with my hand.

"Yes," Hijikata-san said in a kind, reassuring voice.

I took a deep breath and bowed deeply. "Thank you... Thank you very much," I said.

"No problem," Hijikata-san said. "Is that all?"

"Yes. Now if you would please excuse me—"

"Oh, wait," Hijikata-san said, standing up. He walked to the back of the room and picked something up. "Here," he said, handing me two wakizashi.

"These are...my wakizashi...?" I said, looking at them doubtfully.

"Yes. It seems like they were barely used, which means it must be true that you do not kill people. Therefore, I will give them back to you," he said. He then smiled and said, "There's your family symbol on the handle...they must be something precious, yes?"

I tightly clenched my wakizashi to my chest and said, "Yes... Thank you. Thank you, Hijikata-san!"

Hijikata-san nodded. "Unfortunately, we will continue to guard you, day and night. But continue to come join us for dinner if you wish."

I opened my eyes wide, a little surprised. "Th-thank you!" I said, bowing again. I bowed one more time before I closed the shoji and went back to my room with Saito-san. This was truly a good sign... I was quickly gaining trust, which meant they might release me sooner. Moreover, they told me that what I killed was not a human. Now, why that man became a monster still bothered me...but nonetheless, I was happy. At least until the evening, when a terrible news came to me.


	6. Chapter 6

"You're going to go in a battle?!" I said, frowning.

"Yup. So we're not having dinner together tonight. I'll give you yours right now," Heisuke-kun said, handing a tray to me.

It was evening of the same day, when Heisuke-kun came to my room and brought dinner for me.

"Going off and killing people... Why do you Shinsengumi have to be so violent...?" I mumbled.

"It's because we just found out that our enemy is going to meet at either Ikedaya or Shikokuya," said Shinpachi-san, who was guarding my room. "We wouldn't attack normal citizens."

"Wait—did you just say Ikedaya?!" I exclaimed, my face struck with horror.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Heisuke-kun asked.

"That's—that's right next to the clinic where I used to work, where my younger brother is working right now!" I covered my mouth with my hands. "Oh, no... What if something happens to him?!"

"Calm down, Michiru," said Heisuke-kun. "Come join our meeting and talk to Hijikata-san and Kondo-san. We should be able to figure something out."

"Yes...okay," I said, still trembling from the shock.

The three of us then went down the hall to the meeting room. When Heisuke-kun opened the shoji and Hijikata-san saw me—my face must have been as pale as a ghost—he frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"His brother works at a clinic next to Ikedaya, and we were wondering if we can figure something out to let him escape safely," Heisuke-kun explained.

"Next to Ikedaya?!" Hijikata-san and Kondo-san exclaimed at the same time. Everyone in the room—which included most of the Shinsengumi—looked at us in surprise.

"Well, that's a bummer," Hijikata-san said, rubbing his chin with his hand.

Kondo-san thought for a moment. He then suggested, "How about you go with the Ikedaya team? Right after we attack, you can go inside the clinic and tell your former employer and your brother to evacuate."

"That seems like a good idea," said Okita-san, who was standing next to Kondo.

"But Kondo-san, he can't kill people," Hijikata-san said.

"Can't kill people?" Heisuke-kun, Shinpachi-san, Okita-san, and Kondo-san all said in surprise.

"Well, then it would be too dangerous to take you to a battlefield," Kondo-san said, scratching his head.

"Um, I... I would like to avoid killing people if possible," I said slowly, "but if I must kill to protect myself or others, I have the resolve to do so."

"Hijikata-san, Kondo-san, I think it's all right to take him," said Okita, with his usual playful smile. "There's very little chance that he'll get into a fight."

Hijikata-san thought for a moment before he said, "All right." He then clapped his hands and said, "Okay everyone, listen up. We're going to split up into Team Ikedaya and Team Shikokuya. This guy, who is, uh...here for a certain reason, will be going with the Ikedaya team but will not be fighting with us."

"Yes, sir!" the Shinsengumi members said.

"All right, now let's go!" Hijikata-san said, putting on his coat.

And so began the long, bloody night.


	7. Chapter 7

It was nighttime, and the neighborhood was quiet. The Shinsengumi quietly lined up in an alley. Kondo-san, at the front, saw a man cautiously peek from the window of Ikedaya.

"So this was the correct one, huh?" said Harada-san.

"All right," Kondo said. "Yokoichi-kun, you wait in front of the clinic while we go attack them. Once you hear us fighting, go into the clinic and evacuate your former employer and your brother. All right?"

"Got it," I said, nodding.

"All right guys," said Kondo-san, turning around to face the Shinsengumi members. "Let's go!"

We came out of the alley and positioned ourselves. Once I heard Kondo-san barge in and yell and sounds of swords clashing against each other, I cut open the door with my wakizashi and barged in.

"Sensei! Michikuni! Are you here?" I yelled.

"What's wrong?" the doctor asked from upstairs.

"There's a... a riot next door! Please evacuate quickly!"

"Hold on let me look out the window... My, oh my! Okay let me go wake up Michikuni-kun."

I paced around anxiously as I waited downstairs while the doctor went into Michikuni's room. When they finally came downstairs, I led them out the door.

"Please run toward the west and stay somewhere safe for tonight," I said to the doctor.

"What about you, Onii-chan?" Michikuni asked, anxiously.

I knelt down and put my hands on Michikuni's shoulders. "Listen. I'm still under their watch so I can't go with you. But promise me that you and sensei will go far away from here, just for tonight."

"Just for tonight?" Michikuni asked.

"Yes, just for tonight," I said, nodding.

The doctor took Michikuni's hand. "Michiru-kun, thank you for the warning. Now let's go, Michikuni-kun."

"See you, Onii-chan," Michikuni said as he ran away with the doctor.

Just then, I heard a high-pitched voice shout, "Okita-san!" I looked up at the second floor of the building, where the voice came from. The voice must belong to Yukimura-san. Something bad must have happened upstairs.

I quickly ran inside the building and ran upstairs, avoiding the bodies lying on the floor. When I got to the second floor, I was shocked at what I saw—Heisuke-san on the floor; Okita-san, who had blood on his mouth and chin, protecting Yukimura-san from a blond-haired man; and a quiet, muscular man standing by the wall.

The blond-haired man turned to look at me. "Oh...a new one, eh? I was just about getting bored with this one... Now let's see how good you are!"

With that he started running towards me. I quickly pulled out my two wakizashi to block the attack. The force of the attack was enormous; my hands trembled as I blocked the sword.

"Not too bad," the blond-haired man said as I flung away the attack. I glared at him with all my might, ready to block the next blow.

Suddenly, the man opened his eyes wide. He then sneered and put away his sword. "I see...so you're one of us, though the blood is very very thin," he said.

"Wh-what are you talking about...?" I said, still glaring at him.

He walked to the window and called the other man. "Let's go. We are done for today. But oh, let me tell you one thing..." he said, looking at Yukimura-san. "She is a girl," he said, pointing at me.

"Wha-" I dropped both of my wakizashi in surprise. But before I could say something, the two men had already disappeared.

"Wait...I can still...fight..." Okita-san said, coughing up blood.

"Okita-san, stay still!" I said, running over to him. I looked at the blood on his face, his body, and the floor—it was a lot, but not much he that he would die.

"Let me check your rib cage," I said, feeling around his chest with my hands. Surprisingly, though, none of his bones were broken.

"Wait...if your bones aren't broken, why are you coughing up blood...?" I asked, confused. But Okita-san did not answer. He seemed to have passed out.

I thought for a moment. His throat, chest, and stomach looks okay, but he was coughing up blood. If it's not an injury, could it be—an illness?

"Michiru-san, let's take Okita-san back to the quarters," Yukimura-san said. "There must be someone back there who knows about medicine."

"Right," I said. We each held Okita-san's arm around our shoulders and went down the stairs. As we walked, my heart hurt at what I saw—blood and dead bodies everywhere.

We carried Okita-san back to the quarters and had Saito-san carry Heisuke. All was quiet once we got back, but it was an unforgettably terrifying night.


End file.
